-John Moore from Bassingbourn, near Royston, Herts, saw the creature, with its distinctive white-tipped tail, in fields behind his house
-Only one other black fox has been spotted in Britain before in Preston
By Jill Reilly
Rare spot: John Moore, 58, from Bassingbourn, near Royston, Herts, saw the creature, with its distinctive white-tipped tail, in fields behind his house yesterday
According to legend, a black fox brings bad luck, but an amateur photographer could hardly believe his good fortune when he spotted the rare animal near his house.
It is believed to be only the second time a black fox has been spotted in Britain.
John Moore, 58, from Bassingbourn, near Royston, Herts, saw the creature, with its distinctive white-tipped tail, in fields behind his home.
'My neighbour thought it was a stray dog but I looked through my binoculars and realised it was definitely a fox, especially because of its white-tipped tail,' said Mr Moore
Unusual: The black fox is so rare that wildlife experts believe there are only a handful of the breed left in the country
His wife Cheryl, 64, first spotted what she thought to be a black sack blowing in the wind last week.
Mr Moore then spotted it for himself last Thursday but it has disappeared by the time he managed to get his camera out.
He then spent four days watching for the black fox, which has a distinctive white-tipped tail and is believed to be one of just a handful in the country.
'I've heard black foxes are mythical creatures because they supposedly don't exist,' he said.
'My neighbour thought it was a stray dog but I looked through my binoculars and realised it was definitely a fox, especially because of its white-tipped tail.
'I didn't realise how rare it was until I did some research. An RSPCA officer told my neighbour the organisation had never seen one before as they are that rare.
The black fox is in fact an ordinary red fox which has black fur or is going through a phase where the colour of its fur is particularly dark.
The phenomenon is normally seen in growing cubs and generally the fox will develop to have a dark chestnut coat.
But a few red foxes will remain black due to a rare genetic flaw dating back hundreds of years. Only a handful of them are thought to exist in Britain.
Unwelcome sight: In medieval times, the black fox was considered a bad omen by superstitious villagers
Colouring: The black fox is in fact an ordinary red fox which has black fur or is going through a phase where the colour of its fur is particularly dark
In North America, foxes with black coats are often found with a variable amount of white or white-banded hair in the dark coat.
Mr Moore added: 'I first saw the black fox last week so when it appeared again yesterday I was ready with my camera.
'I managed to get within 100 metres of it but then it ran off.
'I was really pleased with the photos. I wanted to get them because when we spotted it before no one believed us.
'They thought we must have been mistaken, but from these pictures there's no mistaking it.'
Mr Moore even believes there is a second black fox living in the fields.
'I caught a glimpse of a second one but I'm not sure if it's a cub or a male and female fox,' he added.
The red fox was introduced to America by the peans and black foxes exist in much greater numbers there because they were not hunted as widely.
In the UK their pelts were highly prized in the fur trade and it is believed the genetic strain became much scarcer.
Only one other black fox has been spotted in Britain before in Preston, Lancashire in 2008.
But weeks later a woman found the dead animal on her farm in Heapey, near Chorley, Lancashire, after it had been seen by neighbours hanging around the area, looking gaunt.
Omen: Only one other black fox has been spotted in Britain before in Preston, Lancashire in 2008 in a graveyard - but it was found dead weeks later
Kevin Hehir, 48, from Ribbleton in Preston, spotted the animal on September 8 whilst he was out walking and managed to take pictures and record footage.
At the time, he said: 'I thought it was the Devil looking at me. Then I thought, "It's a myth, there's no such thing". But I managed to get right up to it and it's definitely a young black fox.'
On hearing it had died, he added: 'What a shame. At the time it looked weary and like it was on its last legs. I'm pleased that I managed to get a picture of it. Far from being unlucky for me it brought the sunshine and dry weather for the harvest.'
source:dailymail